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Madam Pomfrey's One-Shot Triathlon - Winners announced!

Madam Pomfreyís One-Shot Triathlon

Hello and welcome to the Character Clinic One-Shot Triathlon, running from 1st March to 31st May.

The triathlon is Ė like the name already suggests Ė divided into three parts. The first part, running throughout March, will be about major characters, the second part, running throughout April, focuses on minor characters, and the final part, running throughout May, will be about original characters.

What does the triathlon entail?

At the beginning of a month, Iím going to post a couple of prompts/situations to hopefully inspire you. You then pick one character and write a one-shot for one of the prompts/situations. You can use any character you like, but the character must fit into the parts, meaning in round one, you canít write about Susan Bones as she clearly is a minor character, or when we are in round three, you cannot write about Harry Potter as he isnít an original character. If you are unsure whether your chosen character is a major or minor character, take a look into the respective subforums. If you donít find a thread on your chosen character, donít hesitate to ask.

You donít need to have a thread for your original character in the Character Clinic, but I encourage you to have one because the comments and questions from fellow members will help you develop your OC into a believable character.

Participation is free for everyone, and no one has to do all three parts, unless you want to. If you donít feel like doing round one, but round two and three, go ahead.

Rules:

+ For each round, you may enter as many one-shots as you like.

+ You may ONLY enter one-shots. No chaptered stories are allowed.

+ All stories must have at least 1,500 words.

+ You MUST include your House and forum name in the SUMMARY of your story. You also need to state that your story is for the Character Clinic Triathlon.

+ Stories are to be submitted into the most suitable category (e.g. if you write about Scorpius Malfoy, then your one-shot probably belongs into Next-Gen or Other Pairings).

+ All standard MNFF rules apply. You must include appropriate warnings, use correct grammar etc, etc.

+ You may use a beta. (I beg that you use a beta.)

There will be five points awarded per participant per round, meaning if e.g. Equinox Chick decides to write two stories for round one and one for round three, she will receive five points for round one and five points for round three.

Each round will have two finalists. First and second place for each round will receive 15 and 10 points respectively. The overall winner will receive 20 points.

Submissions for round one open on the 1st March and close on 31st March. Submissions for round two open on the 1st April and close on 30th April. Submissions for round three open on the 1st May and close on 31st May. Any later submissions wonít count into the roundís judging progress.

Can someone use the same character as someone else in the major and minor character events?

Yes. It doesn't matter if someone else already wrote about Draco for instance. If you like to write about Draco, you can write about him.

Originally Posted by ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor

Are there ratings and warnings limits (no Professors, no AU, etc.)?

No limits. Whatever comes to your mind is permissible as long as it follows submission rules of MNFF.

Originally Posted by ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor

Are OCs permissible as background characters for the first two events?

If the OCs are held very minor, yes. They may speak and have a little interaction with the canon character, but the main focus should really lie on the canon characters.

Originally Posted by ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor

Does the story have to be in the queue by the deadline (timestamped on that date) or validated by the deadline?

Timestamped will suffice. If you notice that you are getting close to the deadline, send me a PM so that I am notified that you submitted a story. Though, of course, should you then be rejected and the deadline is already gone, I can't consider your story in the respective round, so better get your submissions in the queue in a timely manner.

Let's see if I understood you correctly, Molly: So you want to for example write a story that features the trio - Harry, Ron and Hermione (with the main focus on Harry) - and then write a second story about Hermione? If that's the case, yes. Go ahead.

I have another, probably overanalytical, question, but I have a plot bunny that I'd like to push/pull/drag into this contest, so I need a way in.

2) Your chosen character is newly in love and about to experience his/her first kiss. What does he/she feel? What is the kiss like?

Does this have to be the character's very very very first kiss, like the teenage kind, or the first kiss shared with a certain someone? For example, let's say that there is a person who is married and has fallen out of love. Said person falls in love with someone else and kisses that other person for the first time. Does this scenario qualify for this particular prompt?

That was probably unintelligible and discombobulated, but that's the best I can do to phrase it.

My entry for this has sparked a plot bunny and I've decided I want to carry it on as a chaptered fic. My questions is would I have to wait until the judging is over to post furthur chapters on this story?

EDIT: I thought it probably wouldn't count, but I just wanted to check. Thanks Bine!

Neil: As the prompt clearly says "summer holidays", the story can't be set during the Christmas holidays. And a day has twenty-four hours. It's up to you whether the adventure takes place when the sun is up or when it's night.

Sarah: I have to say yes. The challenge is clearly set as a one-shot challenge. Your entry can later be the first chapter of a WIP, but it should still have a feel of being able to stand alone as a one-shot, you know what I mean? Whatever you write about needs to feel complete. However, if you want to submit more chapters before judging is complete, feel free to do so, but your story then won't be eligible for judging.

EDIT: As I'm going to be on Easter holidays with no or very little internet access from 1st to 7th April, I'm going to post the prompts for round two this weekend already, so that you can ask questions early.